Jean-Baptiste Leblond NATURALIST AND PLATINUM SMUGGLER

By W. A. Smeaton, D.s~.,F.R.I.C. University College, London

In June 1785 the Paris Acadimie Royale posthumous second edition of his book on des Sciences heard a “Memoir on Platinum French Guiana (4). Born on December 2nd, or White Gold”, which has been described 1747, near Autun in Burgundy, he emigrated as the best contemporary account of the at the age of 19 to the West Indies, where occurrence and extraction of South American he supported himself by practising medicine, platinum (I). It contained a detailed descrip- learnt from a French surgeon at Martinique tion of the terrain in which platinum was and a British physician on the island of St found in Peru, always associated with gold, Vincent (5). He travelled as far as Peru, and the author explained how the metals then a Spanish colony, and in 1785, on his were separated from the accompanying earth return to France, he read memoirs on by washing, and then from each other, grain various aspects of geography, natural history, by grain, by means of a knife blade. Any gold anthropology and tropical medicine to the which remained with the platinum was learned societies of Paris, and acquired removed by amalgamation with mercury, and a reputation as a careful and accurate ob- most of the platinum was discarded, for its server. Some of his work was published, lack of malleability made it difficult to work, and he was elected to corresponding member- and it was regarded as a troublesome impurity. ship of the Acadimie Royale des Sciences, the When this memoir was printed a few Sociite‘ Royak de Mecine and the Sociite‘ months later in the scientific periodical Royale d’Agriculture. Observations mr la Physique, the author was At the end of 1786 Leblond again set off given only as “M. L.” (2), and he has re- for South America, this time commissioned mained anonymous from that time on. A by Louis XVI to study the natural history of search in a collective index published the following year has now, however, identified him as Monsieur Leblond. An account of the life of Jean-Baptiste Leblond, written by a nephew, ap- pears in the preface of the

The Prst page of the paper read by “M. L.” to the Acnddmie Royale des Sciences in June 1785. The author has remained unknown for over 170 years but has now been idPntiJied as Leblond.

Platinum Metals Rev., 1969, 13, (3), 11 1-1 13 111 French Guiana. He was especially asked to octants which have a better polish than the finest steel and cannot be tarnished or damaged see whether the colony produced cinchona by mst. It is claimed that similar mirrors bark, which was used for treating fever long are to be supplied to the entire Navy, and it is suggested that a telescope mirror requiring before quinine was isolated from it in 1820 several hundredweight of platinum could be by Pelletier and Caventou. But before leaving made, The stock that is being used in Paris Paris, Leblond had an important piece of just now comes from 60 or 80 pounds, a quarter business to transact. of which belonged to me, that Mr Dombey brought from Peru. The King and some noble- In his memoir on platinum, he stated that a men have platinum snuff-boxes which they certain amount was sent to Spain from the value highly; watches are being made with mines in South America, but that the Spanish platinum movements, and they are expected to be very accurate and durable. Government generally forbade its export to These, Sir, are some of the advantages of the other countries because of the fear that it new metal that are already apparent. I have no would be used to adulterate gold. However, doubt that England, with its well-deserved reputation for working steel superlatively well, it seems that Leblond himself had brought to can give platinum its rightful applications in France no less than 200 lb of platinum, the arts better than any other nation. This almost certainly illegally, since he did not would be a new advantage to add to its flourish- ing industry, and it is from this point of view advertise its existence, and tried to dispose that I dare ask you to bring it to the attention of it commercially and not for the scientific of the craftsmen of London. purposes for which a limited export was Since platinum began to be worked in Paris, its price has suddenly risen from or 6 francs permitted. 5 per ounce to 12 or 15, and now none is for sale. By 1786 the Spanish chemist P. F. I have not yet decided to sell mine in small Chabaneau had brought ingots of malleable quantities, for this would take too much of my time and I have to leave at once for South platinum to Paris, and had encouraged the America. If I sell the whole quantity I could goldsmith Janety to work the metal into accept cash, merchandise or even an annuity, jewellery. Lavoisier had succeeded in melting at the choice of the purchaser. The annuity small quantities of platinum at the tempera- would suit me for the time being, when my ambition is merely to travel as a naturalist. ture produced by charcoal burning in a blast I ask you to excuse these minute details and to of oxygen, and the Abbe Rochon was using it accept a memoir on the natural history of for the mirrors of reflecting telescopes and platinum which I read last year at the Acadimie des Sciences. . . . navigational instruments. Leblond was anxious to supply an obviously growing Leblond market, but he could not find anyone in Having lived for a long time in the English Paris prepared to buy his entire stock. islands of America, I speak English sufficiently well to undertake a journey to London if you Probably at the suggestion of P. M. A. judge it necessary for my purpose. If you Broussonnet, a naturalist who had lived in condescend to honour me with a reply, it can London and was well known in British be sent to me either directly, or addressed to Mr Broussonnet, who does me the honour of scientific circles, he wrote to Sir Joseph writing to you in support of me. I live at the Banks, the President of the Royal Society (6). Hotel de Bellevue, Rue Copeau, near the His letter, dated July znd, 1786, can be Jardin du Roi. translated as follows : Banks's endorsement on the back of the Sir, letter shows that he received it on July zoth, 1786, and that reply, which has not been Circumstances too tedious to describe in his ~~ detail have made me come from Peru to France found, was written on July 25th. Before with 2oo pounds Of platinum, which I wish to sell in bulk and which no one here can buv hearing from Leblond he had received a letter from me. New experiments of Mr Lavoisier from Eh'OussOnnet (711 and on JUlY 17th he and others point to processes for rendering the wrote to Birmingham to ask Matthew metal malleable and using it in the arts that are far less costly than those of Baron von Bodton - a Fellow of the Royal Society as Sickingen, I have Seen many mirrors for well as a leading industrialist - whether

Platinum Metals Rev., 1969, 13, (3) 112 The last page of Leblond's letter of July 30th, 1786, to Sir Joseph Banks in which he seeks to dispose of 200 pounds of platinum that he had brought to France from Peru.

English manufacturers were likely to be interested in buying the platinum (8). Boulton's reply must have been a negative one, for the metal stayed in France and Leblond did not visit Lon- don. A mathematician called Auguste Savinien Leblond (I760-1 8 I I) did, however, meet Banks in England in 1786, and this has caused some confusion, leading one historian to ascribe to J.-B. Leblond a letter written on July 30th, 1786, by A. S. Leblond (9). The platinum was eventually acquired by short visit to France in 1790-91 and finally the Government and deposited in the royal returned in 1802 at the age of 55. He subse- collection of minerals at the Jardin du Roi, quently published a book on tropical diseases, the teaching and research institution which the first (and only) volume of an account of became the Museum National d'Histoire his travels, and a description of French Naturelle during the French Revolution. Guiana and its natural resources. He hoped All the royal scientific collections became that his pension would be returned to him public property at that time, and it is possible on the restoration of the Bourbons, but he that some of the platinum was used in the died on August 14th, 1815, less than three preparation of standard weights and measures months after Waterloo. of the metric system. References In exchange for his platinum, Leblond was I D. McDonald, A History of Platinum, London, granted a pension of 3,000 francs (about 196% 17 E12o) per annum by Louis XVI, but along 2 Obs. Physique, 1785~27,362-373 3 Obs. Physique, 1786, 29, 463 with all other royal pensions it was suppressed 4 1.-B. Leblond, Description de la Guyane by the Revolutionary Government. Leblond Fransaise, 2nd ed., Paris, 1824, v-xvi 5 J,.-B., Leblond, Voyage aux Antilles et a was in Guiana when this happened, but he 1 Amerique Meridionale, Paris, 1813 obtained an official appointment there as a 6 British Museum, Add. MS.8096, ff. 222-223 botanist, and did much to encourage the 7 British Museum, Add. MS.8096, ff. 246-248 production of pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and 8 D. McDonald, op. cit., 83 9 W. R. Dawson, The Banks Letters, London, some natural dyes in the colony. He paid a 1958, 525

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